Baseball

Moquete Named Little East Conference Co-Player of the Year

May 12, 2014

NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Senior Jamill Moquete (Boston, Mass.) has been named the Little East Conference Co-Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection after leading the Beacons back to the postseason tournament for a 10th straight time.

Also earning Second Team All-Conference honors was senior relief pitcher Daniel Heefner (Tracy, Calif.), junior starting pitcher Kyle Szatrowski (Agawam, Mass.), and freshman third baseman Daniel Mantoni (Northbridge, Mass.). The four all-conference honorees, coupled with Moquete's Player of the Year nod, marks the most conference postseason accolades earned in a single season since the 2010 campaign. That season, the Beacons had four first teamers, one second team selection, and the pitcher of the year.

For Moquete and Szatrowski, Monday's announcement marks the second straight All-Conference selection for the two, with both players earning a spot on the second team in 2013.

This season, Moquete carried the Beacons back to the Little East Conference tournament, with his team leading .333 average. In 135 at-bats, the Boston native recorded 45 hits, including seven doubles, six triples, and four home runs. He also drove in 29 runs, and reached home plate a team-best 38 times. His .563 slugging percentage and .497 on-base percentage leads the Little East Conference. Going into the Little East Conference tournament, Moquete led the conference in triples with six, and ends his career at UMass as the all-time leader in triples with 11. His 41 walks on the year leads both the conference and all of NCAA Division III baseball. It also stands as the new single season program record. His 1.03 walks per game is second best amongst Division I, II, and III hitters. On the base paths, Moquete finished the year tied for first in stolen bases with 19, while is 185 plate appearances was fourth most in the conference.

Szatrowski's junior season was another strong one for the Agawam native. As the Beacons ace, the lefty posted a 3.51 ERA and a 4-2 record in 2014. In nine starts, Szatrowski went a total of 59.0 innings and fanned a team-best 39 batters, while only surrendering 12 walks. He held opponents to a .222 average and threw the only complete game for the Beacons.

Perhaps his best showing of the year came in the April 19 meeting with Keene State College. Szatrowski held the Owls hitless through six complete innings and allowed just two hits in the conference victory. He also had a solid start in the 11-1 eight inning win over Rhode Island College to close out the regular season. In seven complete innings, Szatrowski allowed one run on five hits and struck out five, while not walking one batter.

In his final season with the Beacons Heefner, made every appearance count, especially against Little East Conference opponents. Out of the bullpen, the California native finished with a 4.21 ERA and a 2-2 record. Against LEC teams, the righty boasted an impressive 0.84 earned run average allowing just four runs, one earned, on 10 hits. He also struck out 10 LEC batters and ended the year with a 1-1 record. In 2014, Heefner made a total of 15 appearances and recorded his program leading eighth save in the 5-4 win over Rhode Island College. With 59 career appearances, Heefner ended his college career as the all-time leader in that category.

In his rookie campaign, Mantoni wasted little time cementing a spot in the starting line-up. In a total of 39 starts, Mantoni finished the year with a .317 average totaling 44 hits in 139 at-bats. The Northbridge native recorded 10 doubles and one triple and also drove in 24 runs and reached home plate 27 times. He finished third on the team in stolen bases with 11, and combined for four sac-fly's (t-3rd in the LEC) and three sacrifice hits. His 168 plate appearances ranks ninth in the Little East Conference. Defensively, he totaled 49 putouts and 84 assists as a freshman.

While in Fort Myers, Florida, Mantoni showcased tremendous speed totaling seven stolen bases. In the 11-1 win over Rhode Island College, Mantoni finished 3-for-4 with a double and a triple and had three RBI and two runs scored, to help the Beacons back to the postseason. During the year, Mantoni was named Little East Conference Rookie of the Week twice.